Fairfield Community Gardens

Urban Farm Event

2011-09-26T12:03:00.000-07:00

This looks like a great event coming up in November.

Nov 10 2011 - 18:30

Can you make a living growing food?

Can you do it in the city?

Curtis Stone is coming to Victoria to answer both those questions with a resounding YES.

The event will be held at the Fernwood Community Centre, 1240 Gladstone Avenue,
Victoria, BC V8T 1G6.

More info and registration here SPIN-Farming-Evening.

-Fiona Gilsenan

Fall Fairfield Fun

2011-09-24T20:57:00.000-07:00

What a good time we had at Fall Fairfield today. The fog came and went, but we had so many people stop by the booth to chat and offer their support. A great day for the garden! Here's Jessica talking about community gardens while Bonnie Mae arranges some of the amazing veg that neighbours brought to share.

-Fiona Gilsenan

Fall Fairfield

2011-09-22T17:03:00.000-07:00

The Community Garden Association will be at Fall Fairfield this Saturday and we want your veg! Bring your produce to our table and show it off. We're looking for beautiful veg, the pride of your garden, best veg arrangement, and rare or heirloom varieties.

There will be prizes!

-Fiona Gilsenan

We need Letters

2011-08-08T11:05:00.000-07:00

Are you a business owner in Fairfield? We want you! We are making efforts over the next few weeks to get letters of support for our community garden. Of course, we welcome support from individuals, too, from any part of Victoria. Do you think community gardens should be supported on Park land? Let us know! Send us an email at communitygarden@fairfieldcommunity.ca.

Anybody Got a Truck?

2011-08-02T17:10:00.000-07:00

Do you have a truck? Do you know anybody who has a truck?

A friend with a truck is a wonderful thing for a truckless school or community garden.

If anyone has a truck that we could use for about two hours, please let us know. Email me gilsenan@well.com.

Thanks!

-Fiona Gilsenan

Children's Garden in Fernwood

2011-08-02T10:01:00.000-07:00

How lovely. Word comes from Fernwood of a new children's garden. Here's a message from Leah:

My name is Leah and I am writing with the hope that I can recruit some of you to come and join us this week in the very exciting creation of the Little Acorn Children's Garden. Over the past six months, I have been collaborating with a number of community groups to build a garden at the daycare where I work. The available site for the garden is an old driveway which has meant a lot of creative thinking about how to transform that space into a vibrant oasis. This has been an amazing process which is finally coming to fruition as we now have gorgeous beds in place that are ready to be filled with soil and planted!! Over the next week, we will definitely need some people power to move gravel and soil into the beds, and to get them planted!! I would love some of your help to make this all come together. If you can make it out, we will be in the garden on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 3:45-6pm.

Come and join us for a bed building and planting extravaganza!

Here is a loose schedule of what will be happening:

Tuesday - Lining beds with poly and filling beds with gravel and soil

Wednesday - Possibly more hauling of soil, Transplanting, Sowing

Thursday - Planting and Transplanting

Friday - Site Clean-up and Celebration!

What a wonderful idea. The address is 2629 Victor St. Email Leah if you can make it at Leah Seltzer leah.seltzer@gmail.com. I'll definitely be going to help out.

-Fiona Gilsenan

Tea Time

2011-07-27T11:29:00.000-07:00

The Fairfield Community Association is serving tea. Tomorrow, July 28th at 4 pm, all are welcome to come and find out how to get involved in some of the great activities the FGCA has coming up. Including, naturally, the Community Garden!

Moss St. Paint-In Jr.

2011-07-18T17:49:00.000-07:00

No, not the Moss St. Paint-in that almost got rained out this past weekend. But we had a great time with the kids at the market duplicating some of the crafts we did with the Sir James Douglas School Garden Club. We'll do it again in August. See you there!

-Fiona Gilsenan

FCG goes to Moss St. Market

2011-07-08T13:25:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love the kids' tent at Moss St. Market? Well, we do too! We'll be there tomorrow with a bunch of garden-themed crafts for the kids and with information about the garden. Hope to see you there.

Save the Boulevards

2011-05-26T13:23:00.000-07:00

I received an e-mail this morning from Rainey Hopewell, forwarding the following from Zoë Mager. I want to share it with all urban foodists in Victoria.

My name is Zoë Mager and alongside my housemate Chris Fretwell and other inhabitants of 1702 Belmont, we have put a huge amount of effort, resources and seeds into a boulevard garden on the green space at the intersecting corner of Belmont, Begbie and Grant streets. One of the many of our neighbours who enjoys and supports our gardening initiative there named this space Kale Corner. We have made every effort to keep the space clean, safe, aesthetically pleasing, away from sidewalks as not to obstruct any walking paths. Truly a labour of love, the gardens have been admired by many a neighbour walking their dog or biking with their children. This morning a city worker came by and without any notice began deconstructing the raised bed that we created there. They took away the driftwood that contained our beds and warned that they would come back to re-seed the 3 truckloads of earth that had been brought. After speaking with him and being told that our food garden was a liability, he directed us to Gord Smith, Parks Operations Manager.

We are asking for the support of city council to halt the dismantling of the garden and permit the use of the green space for this community garden initiative. As well, we are asking our gardening allies and those with a passion for taking back the commons and growing food in public space to stand up next to us. There will be a petition at Simple Remedies on Cook St. and hopefully at the Cornerstone Café starting this weekend. Also feel free to come check out the space. This weekend we will be erecting a large poster and petition on the fence at Kale Corner. There will be a City Council meeting going on tomorrow night as well. You can try and sign up to be on the speakers list http://www.victoria.ca/cityhall/council-address-form.aspx The sign up is supposed to happen by 11 am on the Wednesday before but since the deconstruction began this morning, that was not possible.

Attached is the Urban Agriculture Resolution act passed in 1997

Thanks for your solidarity folks and feel free to contact us if you have any ideas or words of wisdom on the matter.

Zoë Mager: zoemager@hotmail.com
Philipe Lucas: plucas@victoria.ca 250-361-0217 @ City Hall or 250-216-5433 (cell)

So Much to Learn

2011-05-11T09:22:00.000-07:00

Do you check out what's happening at the Fairfield Community Centre? Here's one good way: on Facebook.

That's how I read about this must-attend event for Fairfield residents, especially those who care about gardening and food security. You can read more on the Facebook page, but here's the description:

What does your city look like 30 years from now?

The City of Victoria has prepared a draft Official Community Plan (OCP), which is now ready for your feedback.

Join us for an open house event at Fairfield Community Place during the Moss Street Market, Saturday, May 14, and learn more about this important plan for Victoria. Come and tell us what matters to you as we plan for the city’s future.

Review different aspects of the plan and speak with staff who can answer your questions. Neighbourhood walking tours discussing how the OCP might influence your neighbourhood will take place at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

It’s important that we hear from as many people as possible as we update this important plan for Victoria. This is your chance to contribute to the future of your city. We invite you to get involved and contribute your thoughts.

The Fairfield Community Gardens Association will definitely be there.

-Fiona Gilsenan

An Hour in the Garden...

2011-05-02T11:07:00.000-07:00

Is better than an hour in the queue. So says the narrator of this brilliant allotment garden propaganda film.

Royal Weeding Day!

2011-04-29T16:23:00.000-07:00

How many of you got up at 3 am to pull a few weeds?

-Fiona Gilsenan

Dirt, Lovely Dirt

2011-04-21T10:59:00.000-07:00

Soil and fertility photo by Fiona Gilsenan

You never know what you might find once you start paying attention to the soil. Master garden-type Geoff Johnson can teach you more this weekend in a LifeCycles workshop happening in Esquimalt. Here are the details:

Soil and Fertility (with Geoff Johnson), Saturday, April 23rd from 2-4pm Esquimalt Rec Centre - $15-20
PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED as space is limited.
Please contact uahub@lifecyclesproject.ca or 250-383-5800 to register for workshops.

Sounds like a great way to learn more about the wonders of dirt and what it can do for you.

Chickens

2011-04-19T21:46:00.000-07:00

Fancy chicken photo from Murray McMurray website.

Everybody wants chickens. I know I do. And I've seen a few coops in Fairfield. Are you wondering whether keeping chickens is legal in Victoria? According to the Victoria Animal Control Services Inc. (which may be the ugliest website ever)...

Farm Animals are prohibited with the exception of chickens, ducks & geese. These fowl can only be kept as pets or for personal egg consumption. Eggs cannot be sold or advertised for sale. Excessive numbers of fowl will bring into question intended use. Roosters are prohibited. If you are thinking about keeping chickens call us and we will tell you the issues and potential problems to avoid. Potbellied pigs are considered Farm Animals regardless of where they are kept (indoors or outdoors).

So that seems clear. Fortunately, the city of Victoria doesn't mind if we keep chickens. Tempted? To find out everything you ever needed to know about poultry, visit the Murray McMurray hatchery website.

Now, how about chickens in Community Gardens?

-Fiona Gilsenan

Fairfield AGM

2011-04-11T12:00:00.000-07:00

Garry oak leaves in Moss Rock Park (photo by Emrys Miller, GOERT website)

Do you live in Fairfield? What are you doing Thursday night? How about stopping by the

FGCA Annual General Meeeting?
Thursday April 14 @ 7pm
Garry Oak Room, 1335 Thurlow

What happens at the AGM? I'm not completely sure, as I've never been to one, but I'll be there with Jessica, Linda, and Bonnie Mae from the garden committee. We can answer any questions you have about the garden and you can find out more about your Community Association.

See you in the Garry Oak Rm...

-Fiona Gilsenan

Community Mapping

2011-03-30T16:34:00.000-07:00

The Fernwood Community Mapping Project is holding some Open Houses over the weekend. They're looking for input into their project, which will be both a paper and an online map. They want to know what Fernwood residents want to see on their Community Map. Here's what they have to say,

What would you like to see on our map? Where are your favorite places? Tell us your Fernwood stories and secrets! What should we tell the world about us? Help us build a beautiful community map!

The vent is at the FCA Gallery, 1923 Fernwood Rd. on Friday April 1 @ 7-9 pm, Saturday & Sunday @ 11-4 pm. I'll be going to see whether this is an initiative that we could also do in Fairfield (I think it is).

Here is some background on the Fernwood Green Map initiative from the UVIC website.

More about Green Maps here.

-Fiona Gilsenan

Pallet Gardening

2011-03-28T12:18:00.000-07:00

Photo of a door garden from Clarence House, London, by Fiona Gilsenan

For those of you with narrow spaces—like a balcony or sunny sideyard—here's an idea that I've been seeing more and more lately: planting a pallet garden. I see it as a way to plant herbs, but here's a good step-by-step from Life on the Balcony on how to build one.

In Fairfield, we have nearly 6,500 townhouses, duplexes, or apartments (most people are surprised to hear that number, but you can find the source at the City of Victoria website). That's a lot of balconies. Let us know if you try building a pallet garden on yours!

-Fiona Gilsenan

Wondering about Permaculture?

2011-03-24T16:11:00.000-07:00

Image from http://permacultureprinciples.com/principles.php.

'Permaculture' is one of those words that gets thrown around a lot, but not everyone is sure what it means. Is it organic? Is it mysterious? Does it involve bizarre composting rituals? There are quite a few permaculture practitioners and experts in Victoria. A few of them are offering what looks like a good learning opportunity for someone who is serious enough to want to spend $200 for a comprehensive look at permaculture.

This two-day intensive workshop will be offered on April 23-24th in Victoria. Included in the price is:

-a copy of the book ‘Introduction to Permaculture’ by Bill Mollison

-16 hours of Permaculture Design theory & applied Organic Gardening techniques

-Certificate of Attendance

-coffee, tea & a delicious lunch both days!

Sounds like you'll learn about compost tea, vermiculture, the soil food web, and much more. For more information, visit the website or e-mail hatchetnseed@gmail.com.

-Fiona Gilsenan

Community Gardens: How Many is Enough?

2011-03-17T18:30:00.000-07:00

The City of Victoria Food System Discussion Paper is worth a read. You can find it on the City's Official Community Plan website.

The section on Case Studies is interesting. Here are some stats on Community Gardens in other West Coast cities with favorable climates:

San Francisco (pop 815,000). "The Recreation & Parks Department supports and manages 40 community gardens on City-owned property, operated in partnership with community volunteers...the Mayor's Directive on Healthy and Sustainable Food (2009) [is] a groundbreaking, comprehensive food policy that holistically considers all stages of the food system."

Seattle (pop 608,000) "Over 1,900 garden plots serve more than 3,800 gardenders on 23 acres of land. The gardens are an integral part of neighbourhood development...Seattle's Comprehensive Plan (1995) states the goal of 1 garden for every 2000 households in every "urban village"."

Vancouver (pop 578,041) "Vancouver has 52 community gardens on Parks Board, School District, City and transit authority-owned land that provide 1,600 community (allotment) garden plots. 900 additional community-shared (commons) gardens are integrated into new developments around the City."

Portland (pop 582,000) "Has 32 gardens on Parks, public and private lands...Administered by Community Gardens Office."

So, how does Victoria compare? We're doing a survey right now to find out exactly how many garden plots there are in Victoria and the CRD. But wouldn't it be wonderful to have a Community Gardens Office here?

-Fiona Gilsenan

Green Drinks @ UVIC

2011-03-17T11:28:00.001-07:00

Here's an event that isn't listed on the usual Green Drinks website. There should be some interesting folks there from the Office of Community-Based Research and other UVIC groups. They are currently hosting Wendy Brawer, the founder of www.greenmap.org in NYC. I bet there will be lots of chatter about sustainability, food security, and local food production. All up our alley!

The Mayor is Coming to Fairfield

2011-03-16T10:16:00.000-07:00

Tonight, Wed. March 16th, Mayor Dean Fortin will be in our neighbourhood to talk about budget issues. You'll find him in the Garry Oak Room at the Fairfield Community Association from 7:30 to 9 pm. I wonder if anyone will raise some of the issues that matter to gardeners in Fairfield, such as the City's Community Garden Policy, which is due for a revamp.

-Fiona Gilsenan

The Dirt in Fernwood

2011-03-15T10:47:00.000-07:00

City Councillor Philippe Lucas and Lana Popham, MLA for Saanich South and Agriculture Critic for the NDP, is hosting an event in Fernwood tonight, March 15th @ 7 pm, and it sounds like a great time. Here's what the invite says.

You are invited to a FREE screening of Dirt the Movie!

An award-winning documentary and an Official Selection at Sundance Film Festival, Dirt! the Movie tells an amazing and little known story of the relationship between humans and living dirt

Watch this trailer and you'll see why this movie has gotten rave reviews!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8_dN5YWnyc

Co-hosted by MLA and Ag Critic Lana Popham and City Councillor Philippe Lucas. After the film we'll have tea and snacks and a presentation by farmer and local-food advocate Bob Maxwell.

See you at the Fernwood Community Association tonight (1923 Fernwood Road).

Springridge Commons Work Party

2011-03-10T21:40:00.000-08:00

Photo of Spring Ridge Commons Work Party by Tony Sprackett (http://www.flickr.com/photos/sprackett/)

Do you have tools and gloves and a bit of time to spare on Sunday, March 13th? If so, think about joining a work party at Spring Ridge Commons, Victoria’s oldest and largest public permaculture garden. Fernwood NRG and Transition Victoria Food Group are taking leadership in supporting the Commons and monthly work parties are being organized.

This work party will be co-led byTamara Schwartzentruber, a certified Permaculture Designer /Teacher and Gardener, and local gardener Dan Miller.

Work Party Activities and Tasks: (More will be added....

* Impromptu site tours of Spring Ridge Commons
* Mulch some trees with wood chips, and inoculate them with the mycelium of wine cap mushrooms
* Some plantings
* Weeding morning glories and tackling blackberry bush
* Cutting down tall grass with kamas
* Place rocks (the size of two fists or bigger) to make the paths more defined? - Volunteers to collect /donate rocks beforehand would be much appreciated. Call Linda at (250) 380-6383.

For more information, go to the Springridge Commons site.
-Fiona Gilsenan

Learning Opportunity in Hillside-Quadra

2011-03-09T12:52:00.000-08:00

Merlot and Salad Bowl lettuce photo by Fiona Gilsenan.

Our neighbours in nearby Hillside-Quadra and North Park have a wonderful opportunity on offer from the Blanshard Community Centre. The Centre has applied for funding for an exciting program offering garden mentor support. Here's what they have to say,

If we receive funding, up to 15 households will receive free expert advice and information, workshops on gardening topics and seeds, seedlings, soil amendments, and tools.

Sounds like a good deal, so if you are interested, contact Marion and 250.388.7696 or e-mail admin@blanshardcc.com to have your household included on the list of possible participants.

-Fiona Gilsenan

Got Gardening Gear?

2011-03-04T14:55:00.000-08:00

The Fairfield Community Association is holding one of it's fabulous clothing swaps tomorrow, March 5th from 10 am to 1 pm. Do you have a nice straw hat, pair of wellies, or a tweed jacket that you no longer use? Bring it to the clothing swap!

-Fiona Gilsenan

Fire at Glendale

2011-02-25T11:26:00.000-08:00

Photo from Glendale Gardens website.

Not sure how I missed this, but there was a fire at Glendale Gardens last week. The Times-Colonist story is here and Nourish Bistro's take is here. Glad nobody was hurt and good luck to all with the clean up. Even more reason to visit the Doris Page winter garden and show your support.

-Fiona Gilsenan

Love Tools?

2011-02-25T11:19:00.000-08:00

These lovely old pruners belong to Mathew Augustus

The Victoria Horticultural Society's monthly meeting takes place next Tuesday, March 1 @ 7:30. As always, it's help at the Garth Homer Centre in Saanich. They've have Ann Roy and Lynne van der Have talking about the yummy tools you can get from Lee Valley. I've always had a soft spot for Lee Valley because they are a Canadian-based company and because they sell these marvellous watchmaker's cases that are so handy for many things.

For VHS members, there's also free entry to the Doris Page Winter garden at Glendale Gardens next week. And as it actually is winter at the moment, it might be worth a visit.

-Fiona Gilsenan

Can you Grow a Row?

2011-02-24T11:37:00.000-08:00

There's more than one row in this picture.

The Fairfield Community Garden gang (aka Jessica, Fiona, and Paula) had a great time at Seedy Saturday. We chatted with all kinds of people from the gardening and green community in Victoria. Everyone is very excited and supportive of our efforts to make a community garden happen in Fairfield. Hooray!

We heard about a few local events that Fairfield gardeners might want to check out. One of them is happening tonight (snow and ice willing) at the Fairfield Community Centre. It's the launch of the Grow a Row program, sponsored by the Compost Education Centre. Tonight at 6 pm in the Out of School Care Room there will be a meet-and-greet, then the official launch, followed by a workshop. You can read more about the program here. If the workshop tonight is full, they will offer another one next week. That's accommodating.

On Saturday, Feb. 26th, there will be a seed swap at the Compost Education Centre. Please call (250) 386-9676 or email office@compost.bc.ca if you are interested in attending or volunteering at any of these events.

-Fiona Gilsenan

Seedy Saturday is here!

2011-02-19T08:38:00.000-08:00

We're off to Seedy Saturday to mingle with gardeners, buy some seeds, and find out what's new and exciting in the gardening world. Oh yes, and we'll be talking to people about the proposed Fairfield Community Gardens as well!

There are some interesting speakers at the event. Carolyn Herriot will be talking about the Zero Mile Diet, Dr. Michelle Gorman will tell us how to outsmart pests, and Lynda Dowling from Happy Valley Herbs is going to talk about --what else? herbs. There's a full list of speakers here. See you there!

-Fiona Gilsenan

Park Tour of Fairfield

2011-02-10T14:00:00.000-08:00

Video by Augustus Productions.

We decided to do a little tour of the neighbourhood to look at all the available land in Fairfield that could possibly be used for community gardening. There isn't much! Here we walk through all the park spaces and comment on their suitability, uses, size, and more. Join us!

-Fiona Gilsenan

Looking for Green Happenings?

2011-02-08T12:20:00.000-08:00

Want to learn a new skill this month? (iStock photo)

A great resource for gardeners and lovers of things green in Victoria is the EcoNews Green Diary, hosted by EarthFuture.org. For instance, just this month in Victoria you could

remove invasive species from native habitat
join an organic farming work party
learn about composting
take your kids on a slug walk
go to an Ancient Forest Fundraiser
see a multi-media presentation on bullfrogs
find out more about beekeeping

Plenty to do, see, and learn! There's even a handy pdf you can download and put on your bulletin board at the beginning of each month.

-Fiona Gilsenan

Children's Show on Allotments

2011-02-02T12:39:00.000-08:00

Photo of Mr. Bloom and talking veg from www.bbc.co.uk.

Can you imagine a 26-part children's show about not just gardening, but about allotments? Well, if you could watch the BBC's children's channel CBeebies, you'd see one. Matthew Appleby writes about the new show.

The 26-part children's show features an allotment looked after Mr Bloom filled with talking vegetables: a shy cabbage, mischievous radishes, a comedy runner bean and a singing aubergine.
Garden writer Dawn Isaacs has given horticultural advice to the live action and puppet series.
Set in a colourful, fertile allotment run by the green-fingered Mr Bloom (Ben Faulks), Mr Bloom's Nursery, aims to show how young children can learn from the experience of nurturing plants and vegetables.
In each episode, a team of young helpers, or "tiddlers", come to the allotment to help Mr Bloom tend his plants and produce. But when they add leaves and clippings to his homemade "compostarium", a group of lively young vegetable puppets spring to life who the children play with, teach and care for.
Children will learn a variety of important lessons including the importance of drinking water when it is hot and sunny to understanding that growing takes time as well as simple vegetable-growing tips.

Perhaps the show will be available on dvd. Perhaps the CBC would like to do a show like this? Maybe First Lady Michelle Obama? What are the chances? You can read more about it at the BBC website.

-Fiona Gilsenan

Mushrooms 101

2011-02-01T12:25:00.000-08:00

Photo courtesy of Cannor Nurseries.

Cannor Nursery in Royal Oak has what sounds like a good event this weekend. On Sun. Feb. 6th @ 10:30, Gary Hagel will be talking about growing and harvesting mushrooms. There were so many mushrooms in the woods this winter and I found myself wishing I knew more about them. So here's a chance to learn a bit more.

He will demonstrate the use of a mushroom kit and discuss some the local mushrooms found in Victoria and around the rest of British Columbia!

They say to call 250.658.5415 or e-mail cannorclub@cannorvictoria.com to register. The event is at 4660 Elk Lake Drive.

update: Here's a great overview of the workshop by Rhona McAdam's wonderful blog, Really Random Garden.

-Fiona Gilsenan

School Gardens Get Kids Excited

2011-01-26T10:26:00.000-08:00

Maeve & Josh help harvest grapes. Photo by Fiona Gilsenan

Here's a great story from Oceanside, California. Teacher Mark Wagner started an organic gardening club. In a spirit of entrepreneurship, the school started selling their produce.

Harvest from the garden provides snacks for the pint-sized gardeners, as well as a lucrative lunchtime business. Fruit is sold during the lunch hour, for about 25 cents apiece. Kids all over the school know where Mr.Wagner's room is and know that he's got what they want: tangerines, apples, figs, fruit! The Garden Club has done so well that they've been asked not to set up on Ice Cream Day because the fruit is more popular than the ice cream!

Now, because this school is in Southern California they are able to sell figs, oranges, pomegranates, and other exotic fruits that we can't grow here in Victoria. But planting fruit trees and bushes is an essential part of the Fairfield Community Garden plan, including in the Commons area.

In fact, the list of fruits that we can grow in Victoria is pretty significant. Grapes, kiwi, apple, plum, berries of all kinds, figs, cherries, pears—certainly enough for the kids to make a few bucks.

Kerin Van Hoosear writes more about the organic garden at Palmquist Elementary school here.

-Fiona Gilsenan

Children Learn to Eat What they See

2011-01-02T18:05:00.000-08:00

Contemplating the imminent demise of a heart-shaped, homegrown strawberry. Photo by Fiona Gilsenan.

George Ball, owner of Burpee seeds, has written a piece for the WSJ called 2011: The Year of the Vegetable. In it, he explains how children learn to love eating vegetables.

Liking vegetables is not a given: Every food other than breast milk is an acquired taste. But children can easily learn to enjoy eating their greens. It's simply a matter of education and familiarity—as in "family." Children will happily eat squash, artichoke or broccoli, to the delight of the parents who taught them to do so. As for fruits, children can gobble them up, but like vegetables, they must be at the ready, at least as available as all the junky alternatives.

The current childhood obesity crisis in the US (and close behind in Canada) is certainly due to the combination of poor eating habits and lack of physical activity. Ball talks about how to tackle the problem.

Yet no single institution is sufficient; fighting a problem of this sort requires a multifaceted effort. Churches could do much more to inspire families to grow vegetables. Public and private botanical and community gardening groups should augment efforts to lure neighbors into their educational demonstration gardens. Most families, whether in the city or suburbs, can plant at least a "starter garden"—involving pre-teen children in the planting, tending and harvesting.

We believe that every community garden should be a place of learning, for children and adults alike.

-Fiona Gilsenan

The Gift of Community Gardening

2011-01-02T10:01:00.000-08:00

Nan Steman writes in her blog of a question she received from two adult children about a thoughtful gift for their mother, and her even more thoughtful response.

His mother, it seems, had suffered some financial setbacks and no longer had access to the fresh fruits and vegetables she’d once had. He and his sister had discussed it and decided that for Christmas, they’d like to get her a community garden plot. They’d also thought about giving her a subscription to community supported agriculture (CSA), but a community garden would get her out and socializing as well.

In an era where we often feel pressured to buy a gift - any gift - here were two adult children thinking about what their mother could use the most: fresh food, physical activity, social interaction. Even if none of it comes to pass, it is a lovely, lovely thought.

You can read the entire post here.

-Fiona Gilsenan

Community Garden Policy

2011-01-01T18:19:00.000-08:00

Michigan Street Gardens, James Bay

Did you know that the City of Victoria has had a Community Gardens policy in place for over 5 years? It was released in Sept, 2005 and has the following policy goals:

To recognize the need for community gardens
To establish community gardens throughout the City on public or private lands, where feasible.
To recognize the value of community gardens, as a public amenity, in land use redevelopment.
To encourage backyard, rooftop and workplace gardening to complement community gardens, as ways to promote more greening of the City.
To maintain existing community gardens and protect local food production.

Somebody wrote up a bit of background information for the policy. Here's what they have to say about Victoria, worth reading in full.

Population projections of Victoria suggest growth and interest particularly in the older age groups (baby boomers) who like to garden. Gardening is the top leisure activity for 80% of households according to Statistics Canada. More households will be living in multiple family housing which generates great demand for community gardens. In addition, the CRD's Regional Growth Strategy promotes increased densification of the core municipalities and de-emphasizes single detached housing. There in the future there will be more demand for gardens and less land available, as fewer residents will not have their own backyards in which to garden.

Although this may not be comfortable reading for everyone (baby boomers are now in the older age group?), it's just a fact that the future of urban life means more density--and that's not a bad thing. Single-family homeowners are by far the minority in Fairfield-Gonzales. Can we say that the neighbourhood public spaces are a good reflection of that? What do you think?

Homage to Growers

2010-12-30T12:11:00.000-08:00

FarmFolk/CityFolk Heroes

A 6 minute homage to 27 farm
& city sustainable growers

photography: Brian Harris, music: Liona Boyd

Urban Gardening Event

2010-12-27T14:26:00.000-08:00

Spotted in an Oak Bay window

Seems there are a few more opportunities to learn about urban gardening in Victoria in January. This conference will be presented on Sat. Jan 29, 2011 up at the Mary Winspear Centre in Sidney. Speakers include Marilyn Soames (chickens!), Brenda Jager (bees!), Carol Miles (veggies!), Don Genova (food!), and Tom Baumann (berries & fruits!). Lunch, workshops, silent auction, and more.

For more information, contact mixingitup2011@gmail.com.

Waterview Community Garden

2010-12-26T21:47:00.000-08:00

Photo from City Farmer (www.cityfarmer.info).

Gardening is good for everybody. Here's an article from last summer's Times Colonist about just that subject. Why link to this now? Because there's an update on one of the gardening projects mentioned in the article—the Waterview Garden.

The City of Victoria recently gave Pacifica a $9,500 special-project grant to create a demonstration and training garden at the Waterview Housing Complex in Victoria, where they have just finished construction of a raised-bed veggie garden.

A report has just been released on the first phase of the garden. You can find the full report at the City Farmer website. But here's a sample of what it has to say.

However, some of its most important accomplishments occurred in the areas of local food production together with limiting our collective and individual environmental footprint..Each participant had their own 4' x 8' raised bed garden when they learned to grow their own food using organic methods. Not only were the participants able to learn how to garden and eat the fruits of their labours, but other tenants were able to watch and learn as well. And with the addition of a 8' x 30' mural—depicting a countryside scene—on the wall overlooking the garden, the garden has become a beautiful demonstration garden. Ten of the twelve original gardeners plan on returning to garden in 2011, together with 7 more Waterview residents. With the publicity it received, the garden also challenged members of the public to ask themselves, “If they can build this and do these things, why can‟t I?”

Winter Gardening

2010-12-26T21:14:00.000-08:00

A little seaweed on the compost pile...

How many people in Canada are lucky enough to garden—really garden—in winter? Not too many. While gardeners on the eastern seaboard are idly flicking through nursery catalogs, those of us on southern Vancouver Island really have no excuse. We should be out there tidying, mulching, digging, and plotting. So, what can you do in January in the edible garden? Here are a couple of ideas.

Keep the compost cooking. Compost can slow down in colder weather, but wormeries and larger compost piles will still be steamy. If you want to learn how to be an expert composter, the Victoria Compost Education Centre is looking for 'Brilliant Environmental Educator Superstars'. On January 22nd, 2011 from 1-4 PM the Centre will be hosting a training session for our volunteer educators. Check their website for more info.

Tidy up. Although there's a lot to be said for letting the fall leaves decompose after they drop into the shade garden, veggies gardens need to be tidy. Garden litter can harbour fungal diseases, slug eggs, and weed seeds. So clean up the vegetable and raised beds—and especially pick up fallen fruit and leaves under fruit trees.

Want to learn how to grow from seed? Glendale Gardens is offering a program on 'Year Round Harvest for the Urban Garden' taught by Linda Gilkeson. The first session is on
Garden Plans & Seed Starting Saturday January 22nd 9:00am - 1:00pm. Ten sessions do cost $400, but it's a great program. (Of course, you could always stop by your local neighbourhood community garden and see what they are up to in January!)

Winter Solstice Potluck

2010-12-14T23:11:00.000-08:00

Thursday, Dec. 16th @ 5:45
246 Fairfield Rd., The Common Room

Feel free to bring something to re-gift as part of Linda's 'Freeboxed in Fairfield' gift exchange.

Musical instruments welcome and encouraged.

Hosted by the Fairfield Streetlife Committee

Questions, Questions

2010-12-14T22:24:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone who filled out a survey at the Community Consultation meeting. The Committee (that's us) has looked through the responses and we are building a picture of the kind of garden that residents of Fairfield want.

But we need to hear from more people, so we've put the survey online. You can find it at Survey Monkey. Please fill it out and encourage all your neighbours to fill it out, too. It takes only two minutes at most. We want to get the opinions of as many residents as possible so that we can create a garden that truly serves the community.

If you would like to be on our mailing list or sign up for an allotment, the survey is also a good place to do that.

How Well Do You Know Fairfield?

2010-12-14T21:48:00.000-08:00

painting by Robert Amos

At our recent Community Consultation meeting we were surprised to realize that most of us don't know that much about our own neighbourhood. So we gathered a few facts & figures about Fairfield. What else can you tell us about the hood?

Population of Fairfield/Gonzales: 14,895
Percentage of total Victoria City population: 11%
Number of single-family residences: 1,915
Number of townhouses & duplexes: 1,155
Number of apartment units: 5,245
Boundaries of Fairfield/Gonzales*:
• West: Blanchard down to Beacon Hill Park, then halfway through the park.
• North: Fort to Linden, then down to Richardson to Richmond, then back up to Fort
• East: Foul Bay
• South: The Ocean
Number of baseball diamonds: 8
Number of soccer pitches: 5
Number of parks: 10+
Number of Community Gardens: Zero

* Or, as the FCA Constitution puts it:
The boundaries of the Fairfield Gonzales Community Area are: starting where Foul Bay Road touches Gonzales Bay then following along the border between the City of Victoria and the Municipality of Oak Bay to Oak Bay Avenue; then westward along Oak Bay Avenue to Richmond Avenue; then southward along Richmond Avenue to Richardson Street; then westward on Richardson Street to Linden Avenue; then northward on Linden Avenue to Fort Street; then westward on Fort Street to Cook Street; then southward on Cook Street to Meares Street; then westward on Meares Street to Quadra Street; then northward on Quadra Street to Fort Street; then westward on Fort Street to the boundary between 819-823 and 817 Fort Street; then westward to the south end of that property; then westward to Blanshard Street; then southward on Blanshard Street to Southgate Street; then eastward on Southgate Street to Quadra Street; then southward on Quadra Street to Arbutus Way; then to Bridge Way; then eastward on Bridge Way to Chestnut Row; then southward on Chestnut Row to Circle Drive; then eastward around Circle Drive to Camos Circle; then southward to the water of Juan de Fuca Strait.

Meeting Next Thursday, Nov. 25th

2010-11-17T15:25:00.000-08:00

Next Meeting October 21st

2010-10-19T06:45:00.000-07:00

Next meeting to be held on October 21st at 1246 Fairfield Rd (Fairfield and Harbinger) in the common room (to the left of the entrance).

Potluck at 6PM; meeting at 7:30PM. Come to eat, come to meet, come for both, as you wish!

Potluck is a soup theme.

Hope to see you there!

Design for Commons

2010-09-05T12:55:00.000-07:00

Above is the design for the proposed Fairfield Community Garden Commons. It incorporates the principle of layering plants and trees to maximize use of space and encourage crop production. The proposed allotment portion would be adjacent to the south end of the Commons.

Open House Survey Results

2010-08-19T19:25:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all those who showed up for the Open House and especially to those who filled out a survey. We have compiled the information below. If you haven't yet filled one out, look in the history of this blog and copy and paste the survey and email your questions to fairfieldcommunitygardens@gmail.com

Thanks for your participation!

Fairfield Community Garden Open House – August 10th 2010 – 7 to 9 pm

39 people signed in attendance

25 surveys were completed

Surveys
Approximately half the surveys were in favour of the garden.

THOSE IN FAVOUR OF THE GARDEN

What would like to see in the garden?
• programs involving children
• program for a community feast
• workshops
• education
• gogi trees
• cob workshops
• worm composting
• bees
• extra food given to those less fortunate
• community art projects
• perennials
• potlucks
• yoga
• tai chi
• permaculture design workshops

What are your concerns about the garden?
• deer and other animals
• fencing for this purpose
• resistant neighbours and nay-sayers
• not enough allotments

What are your suggestions for the garden?
• involve the following: neighborhood kids, seniors, adults, Sir James Douglas school, low income families, students with no lawns, babies, grandmas, the city

Half of the surveys were in opposition.

THOSE OPPOSED TO THE GARDEN

• 7 opposed the project in its entirety
• 2 surveys were incomplete
• 2 surveys did not state reasons to opposition

The main reason given for opposition was that the Community Garden would interfere with the current uses of the park.

"Most houses in Fairfield have yards, we don’t need another community garden."

"The green space will be changed in ways that conflict with its current use."

"Use of park space should not be allotted to garden ‘clubs'."

“Parks are for recreation and repose, not zucchini growing.”

"Current location is a 'savanna'; would like to see it kept that way."

"Presence of the gardens will lead to the destruction of a Garry Oak ecosystem."

"The garden would only serve 8-10 people, the park serves everyone."

"Most people enjoy it as is, it doesn’t need to change."

"Dog-walkers will be forced off flat area and on to Garry Oak trees."

"Robert Porter Park is one of the few remaining large undeveloped places for people to enjoy."

Other reasons:
• loss of nature
• students will be forced to play on rocks
• Garry Oaks are rare and endangered, vegetables can be grown anywhere
• allotments should not be allowed in parks
• already in constant use for non-gardening purposes
• loss of common green space used by school children, dog walkers, and neighbours.
• concerns over wildflower destruction
• poor choice of location
• taking well used public space away from the people
• park should be left as an open space
• concerns about noise, weeds, reduced open space, general inappropriate land use

What are your suggestions?

• find another location
• more dialogue with the neighbours, enhanced community consultation
• follow the “correct process”
• getting rid of allotment gardens
• use of Ebert park, or park on Linden and Chapmen

Open House Planning Meeting...with Fondue

2010-08-03T22:30:00.000-07:00

Come by the Fairfield Community Place Wednesday August 4th for a planning session for the Open House at 7 pm. Ask at the front desk where the group is.

Alternatively, come by 1311 Point Street on Thursday August 5th, 6:30 p. We will be crafting and creating some of the materials for the open house that evening, as well as eating chocolate fondue. Bring fruit or sweet to dip; fondue will be provided!

Update on the Garden Design

2010-08-03T20:21:00.000-07:00

Here is some more information and a plan for the garden design. The plan is a work in process; the commons area will include a more specific map of plants and their planned location.

The Design
The main design of the gardens will incorporate a food forest style commons adjacent to an allotment garden, a design that allows community members to access the public space in an active and engaging manner. The gardens will link the values of accessible garden space with those of educational opportunities and local food resilience. The allotment sites will border the commons and be clearly demarcated. The allotments will comprise eight 4-by

General
• The garden would be located in Robert Porter Park, in the area between the upper field leased by Sir James Douglas Elementary School and the playground area at the far end of the park. This area was originally used for the FGCA bonfire, and is otherwise mainly used by dog walkers and pedestrians.
• The commons would largely border Thurlow Rd. The allotments will be in the naturally enclosed area adjacent to the Garry Oak meadow.
• Wide and open paths will allow for the flow of pedestrians and dog walkers, as well as allowing for continued use of space by community members. Smaller paths will cut through the commons, allowing community members to access food-bearing plants from varying directions.

Park Entrance
The entrance to the commons would be an existing set of steps leading from Thurlow Rd. Pathways from all directions will provide access to the gardens from other parts of the park.

Seating
The gardens would include a seating area, including a cob bench crafted by community members and volunteers. The cob bench would be covered to provide shelter and ensure longevity of the structure. It would also include a map and community garden bulletin board.

Plants
Plants in the commons area are being selected with community consultation for their resiliency, diversity, and ability to produce high yields with minimal maintenance. The commons design would incorporate chestnut trees into the existing treeline along Thurlow St. as well as smaller fruit varieties such as 'Desert King' fig, Goumi and Gogi berry bushes, as well as native Saskatoon berries, and an undergrowth of herbaceous perennials such as artichoke and culinary and medicinal herbs.

Herbaceous Perennials
Globe Artichoke

Herbs
• Comfrey
• Calendula
• Lavender
• Mint
• Oregano
• Thyme

Shrubs
• Goumi berry
• Clove current
• Saskatoon berry
• Huckleberry
• Gogi berry

Trees
Chinese chestnut
'Desert King' Fig

Planting Strategy
The positioning and spacing of the plants is designed for the mature plants to yield to their full capacity. Smaller trees will be protected from deer and dogs until they are mature enough to withstand animals. The first task is to build the allotment beds and prepare the soil for spring planting. Some varieties may be planted in the fall while the spring of will see the full installation of the gardens. Any further planting will largely depend on success of the previous plantings as well as any ongoing food security needs.

Additional plantings will occur in the first few years to maximize food yield. This will include annual vegetables such as squash as well as smaller perennials that will yield more quickly then the chestnut trees and figs. After five years the fig trees are expected to begin their yield, while the chestnuts are designed to provide long term food security to the area.

Education & Outreach
The gardens will include educational signage for individuals to recognize the various plants and trees in the garden.

Open House August 10th, 7 pm

2010-07-25T06:29:00.000-07:00

A Community Garden? In Fairfield…

Join us for an Open House regarding the proposed community garden in Robert Porter Park

August 10th, 7 pm at the Garry Oak Room 1335 Thurlow Rd

• Listen to a brief presentation on the gardens
• Voice your concerns and ideas
• Give your input into the design of the gardens
• Discuss the gardens and their place in the community

Please contact us with any comments at fairfieldcommunitygardens@gmail.com

design for cob bench:

2010-07-16T05:01:00.001-07:00

Here are the designs for the cob bench structure that we're looking at for seating space in the gardens.

Cob building is a traditional European technique of building. It is being revived by cultures all over the world due to its universal availability, accessibility, modifiability, insulation value, structural strength, health benefits, and appealing aesthetic.

The materials that comprise cob are sand, clay, and fibre; in North America, the fibre is typically straw. Cob structures have endured for hundreds of years with minimal maintenance as long as they have a good foundation and appropriate roof overhang. Archeologists have discovered earthen buildings on every continent with the oldest dating to 10,000 years ago.

The cob bench design for the Fairfield Community Gardens incorporates wheelchair accessibility, pamphlet holders, a map board, community posting area, and seating for ten. The community can come together with their personal material offerings to take part in the artistic creation inciting a sense of collective belonging.

What is the Community Garden project?

2010-07-16T05:00:00.000-07:00

The Food Security Branch of the Street Life Committee of the FGCA is currently working on creating a community garden in Robert Porter Park in the Fall of 2010. This project has been ongoing since the summer of 2009, and will include a commons garden for public use as well as a portion of the gardens devoted to allotments.

The commons will include various nut- and fruit-bearing trees and shrubs as well as native plants and herbaceous perennials, including an herb garden and medicinal plants. The commons is designed using permaculture principles that mimic the ecosystem creating a supportive natural environment for plants to grow and thrive.

The goal is to increase food yield over time while decreasing maintenance needs. The allotments will serve community members who wish to garden yet do not have access to garden space. The allotment holders will bring sustainability to the project as they will be required to work a few hours a month maintaining the commons area.

The project also includes a seating area that will be crafted in a traditional 'cob' style. The bench area will be made using natural materials of clay, mud, straw, and wood. This project has been successfully undertaken by various other communities in Victoria, such as the Banfield Commons in Vic West and the Michigan Street Allotment gardens in James Bay.

Currently the group is doing outreach with the community and in contact with Parks Victoria to establish a suitable agreement. The proposal will then go to the City of Victoria for final approval.

An Open House is scheduled for public input at the beginning of August; stay tuned for this date. Community members are also welcome to give input and state any concerns or ideas to fairfieldcommunitygardens@gmail.com.

The Community Gardens hope to enhance the current use of Robert Porter Park and offer a place for community members to gather, share, and learn skills. The group also wishes to increase Fairfield's food security for future generations.

Do contact us with any questions, concerns, or ideas, or if you're interested in participating in the project in any way.

Acceptance of Matching Grant!

2010-07-16T03:44:00.000-07:00

A 2010 matching grant for the Fairfield Community Gardens project has been accepted by the City of Victoria. The group is now developing the design, proposal, and agreements with the Parks Department and the FGCA.

Thanks to everyone who has been doing amazing work on this!

Design-o-Rama!

2010-06-26T13:50:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture done by Ayrie at our Design-o-Rama last month!

Check out the garden ideas!

Community Input

2010-06-26T12:34:00.000-07:00

Here are the suggestions and concerns we have received from our Community Consultations to date.

Ideas and Visions:

• permaculture principles incorporated into the design of the gardens
• getting schools involved; having a children’s garden area; garden as an educational tool; involvement of local youth and children
• cob: shed (although storage facilities are available with the Community Centre, bench, combine art with garden needs
• creative fencing ideas; trellises as fences; artwork in gardens
• rain catchment barrels
• compost area, suitable for workshops
• vegetables; common veggies patch
• herb garden section (specific pants mentioned: nettles, hops, lavender…)
• native plants mixed with edibles
• miniature varieties
• Fruiting plants: kiwi, goji, korean pinenuts (2),cherries, apples, pear, blueberries, mulberries, black cap raspberries, trailing blackberries, salal, peach
• Nut trees: edible chestnuts, hazelnut, walnut

Concerns

• maintenance/upkeep
• who owns what? Who takes car of tools?
• is there enough space for allotments?
• protecting and promoting the native ecosystem
• Garry Oak restoration areas
• the park is a potential site for blue bird nesting, although none have done so yet
• the park is a dog walking/running park, neighbours expressed concerns regarding being able to continue running their dogs up and down the park.
• public park used for private means; allotments on park lands
• shallow soil in some areas of the park
• use of park by school children
• vandalism by youth in hang out in the area
• deer and dogs
• aesthetic of the gardens
• access to water

ANYTHING TO ADD? LET US KNOW!!

Letters of Support!

2010-06-26T10:11:00.000-07:00

We are looking for people to write letters of support. If you support this project please send us a quick email or comment on the blog with your name and address and what you can do to support this initiative.

Thanks!

Below is an example of a letter of support:

Date

To whom it may concern,

As a Fairfield resident I would like to express my support for the initiative led by the Street Life Committee of the Fairfield Gonzales Community Association to establish a community garden in Robert Porter Park.

I currently reside in the Fairfield Gonzales neighborhood and believe that the gardens will be a great asset to the community at large. I believe the gardens will not only offer the community a beautiful landscape and vibrant meeting place, but also an opportunity for education and learning for community members about gardening and food security. The plans for planting trees are especially exciting as this type of food source would offer more long-term food security for the neighborhood.

Additionally I would like to offer my support for the allotments in the gardens as I understand they will provide sustainability for the commons component of the gardens.

As a resident of Fairfield I encourage the City of Victoria to support this initiative to set up a community garden in Robert Porter Park.

Name

Address

Design for Community Gardens

2010-06-25T19:44:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the ideas that were discussed at the design session for the community gardens. Above is a site plan for the area we're looking at in the park:

• permaculture planting along Thurlow St.: fill in the tree line with a row of nut trees, followed by a row of smaller fruit trees, followed by a layer of bushes and a ground layer.
• neighbour's sight lines can be respected by pruning the tree limbs high.
• commons would create a 'sun trap' for the allotments
• allotments would be placed in the centre of that portion of the park
• 6-10 allotments, with the possibility of expanding the number
• fencing is still under discussion; there is a possibility of some boundaries being established by food-bearing plants and some area that will be fenced
• seating and meeting area(s) will be incorporated in the design

Moss Street Market booth for June

2010-06-25T19:37:00.000-07:00

Keep an eye out for the garden group at the Moss Street Market this Saturday between 10 and 2. The group will be giving out info and collecting letters of support for the garden project.

Come check us out!

Potential Ideas!

2010-06-11T17:42:00.000-07:00

Community members and garden enthusiasts met last Wednesday to take a walk around the proposed site in Robert Porter Park and look at design ideas. The group discussed a commons area complete with nut trees, dwarf fruit trees, shrubs, and herbs, as well as an allotment area. We discussed creating meeting spaces with cob benches and tables, and well as native berries located on the edge of the garden transitioning from the gardens to the nearby Garry Oak ecosystem.

The site we looked at is where the Halloween Bonfire is current held. Putting in the gardens in this area would require re-locating the bonfire or looking at how the Place wants to run this event.

The design consultation process will be ongoing. Any ideas, interest or concerns can be directed to fairfieldcommunitygardens@gmail.com

Big thanks to Geoff Johnson for leading the group, and James Pratt for facilitating.
Thanks to all those who showed up!

Community Circle on Food Systems

2010-06-10T06:39:00.001-07:00

The Food Security Committe held a small yet concise circle on food systems during today's Moss Street Market. Topics that were discussed included:

• food education
• food in parks
• food resiliency

Photos of Sunny Moss Street Market Booth!

2010-06-10T06:36:00.001-07:00

Moss Street Market in May

2010-06-10T06:33:00.000-07:00

2010-05-28T09:48:00.001-07:00

Community gardens enthusiasts were out last Saturday the 22nd of May promoting the garden at the Moss Street Market.

For those interested in joining us, the next meeting is at the Fairfield Community Centre (1330 Fairfield Rd.), at 10 am. If it's sunny we'll be outside; otherwise we'll be in the meeting room.

We want to work on our proposal to the city, so we can submit it by the end of June.

Design sessions are underway, and we're looking to do more outreach in June at Moss Street Market.

Allotment Interest

2010-05-08T22:23:00.001-07:00

Are you looking for a plot in Fairfield?

Let us know: fairfieldcommunitygardens@gmail.com

Looking for Allies!!!

2010-04-26T13:39:00.000-07:00

Currently the Food Security Committee of the Fairfield-Gonzales Community Association is pursuing funds to establish a community garden in Robert Porter Park. The gardens will be established in phases and will include mixture of native plants, edible vegetables, a commons, allotment gardens, medicinal plants and small trees.

The project is intended to offer the Fairfield-Gonzales community the many benefits attributed to community gardens: offering a sustainable food source, gardening space, and mentoring & educational opportunities to prospective gardeners. Additionally the gardens are intended to be a place of joint stewardship of public spaces, while creating a meeting place, and contributing to active & healthy lifestyles. The project also intends on maintaining the integrity of the garden space by respecting the current layout of the land, and planting native plants in areas that may be more vulnerable. As well the project is designed to enhance the environment and align with the various restorations areas that are in the area. The gardens also intend on being a tool for community building and strengthening, as well as a place where people can gather and engage with the earth in a meaningful way.

At this point we are looking at establishing community partnerships with other organizations in and around Victoria. These partnerships can take in many different forms be it through joint planning of educational opportunities such as workshops etc, or helping with promotion of work parties, or recruiting volunteers. As well we are looking for donations in kind of supplies and time, as well as food security allies.

Do let us know if your organization would be interested in partnering with us to support this initiative,

Thank you for your time,

Fairfield Community Gardens

Fairfield Gonzales Food Security Committee - Street Life Committee - Fairfield-Gonzales Community Association

Design Session

2010-04-20T13:53:00.000-07:00

Come on down to the Fairfield Community Center to help design the propsed gardens on Thursday April 22nd at 6 PM, in the meeting room.

All are welcome, experience an asset but not necessary, bring your inspiration and enthusiasm!

Need Compost?

2010-04-18T14:31:00.000-07:00

Free compost, Beacon Hill Park maintenance yard, April 22nd,
10-3, bring your own containers.....

2010-04-18T14:24:00.000-07:00

Meeting every 2 weeks!! Come one come all from every second Saturday from10-11.30 at the Fairfield Community Place 1330 Fairfield Road in the meeting room, (ask at reception). Join us in planning and designing gardens in Fairfield-Gonzales Community.

-Currently we are working on mixed gardens in Robert Porter Park

Next meeting March 27th

2010-03-19T14:18:00.000-07:00

Next meeting Saturday March 27th, from 10-11.30 at the FGCA place: 1330 fairfield. We're in the meeting room behind the reception desk.
Hope to see you there!

Meeting: March 12th 2010

2010-03-14T17:29:00.000-07:00

present: Anne Kyle- Bartlett, Kimberly Snider, James Pratt, Scott Cosper, Anna Norris, and Chloe Markgraf.
regrets: Erika Verlinden

Many ideas were shared, the meeting included a brief walk about on-site, as well as big picture ideas, and smaller more focused brainstorms.

-We discussed creating an umbrella for the community Gardens, calling it the Food socurity collective or something of the like. This idea was well received though most of the group wanted to focus on the garden and then move onto to re-identifying the group. Nonetheless this discussion gave us the opportunity to look at the big picture, the future and what we saw this group evolving into.
- We talked about doing outreach mostly on the grounds of canvassing, and talking to senior's centre and Sir James Douglas and Margaret Jenkins school to see if they want to be involved in the project. Chloe and Kimberly agreed to do some canvassing within the next 2 weeks.
- A presence at Moss Street Market was discussed, it was thought that it would be great to have a monthly spot at the market for outreach and information purposes.
-We talked about the proposal that would need to be submitted to parks/the city of victoria. The group agreed that we would like to apply fr a matching grant from the city.
- As for the plan of the garden, some members of the group have been in contact with a permaculture design course that's happening here in Victoria. The organizers of the course are interested in having a design project with us, and creating a design for the park. We discussed that we would need to have a meeting with some of them, to talk about what our needs were, and ideas and the feedback we've already gotten from the community, but that would otherwise be a great opportunity.
-We talked about plot allotments, and the desire to have some allotments was voiced by most of the group. It was brought up that we need about 10 more interested candidates to bring that forth in the proposal, to state the interest and need for allotments in Fairfield. The list is currently at 11 people.
Finally, as mentioned earlier, we agreed on a regular meeting time, every two weeks, as the Fairifeld Community Centre, from 10-11.30, the next meeting will be on March 27th, the room will be announced shortly.
- We also did a walk around of the site to close the meeting and were looking at other possible areas, especially if we wanted to integrate allotments. The area where the bonfire is located looked promising, this would not necessarily even mean moving the fire, although that may be best, as we integrate it into the design of the commons. We will soon be following up with parks on this idea to look at this new slightly different location.
-as a final note, memberships to the group was discussed, as a way to get some start up capital. Perhaps people join for 10$ and that gives us a bit of cash flow. This idea as well will be followed up with the FGCA to see how we can do this.
That's all for now.
enjoy the fresh moist spring soil!

2010-03-07T10:31:00.000-08:00

Spring Start up: March 13th 11am

2010-03-07T10:27:00.000-08:00

Here we go again, after a winter of rest and rejuvenation (i hope), we're back in the swing of things with garden preparations and plans.

With images of bountiful fruits & vegetables in mind, I would like to invite you to a gathering at the Garry Oak Room (corner Thurlow and Moss), on Saturday March 13th from 11-12.30 for tea and conversation about community gardening in Fairfield. We will discuss the Robert Porter Park Plans and any other ideas.

Please invite anyone else you know who is interested in community gardening.

Hope to see you there.

Moss Street Market December 12th and 13th

2010-01-03T10:56:00.000-08:00

Moss Street Holiday fair was a beautiful market as usual, and the FGCA Community garden Initiative was present and handing out fliers and promoting the gardening ideas. Here are some photos of the wonderful volunteers and materials we were handing out.

2009-12-01T13:45:00.000-08:00

The Fairfield Community gardens group will be at the Moss Street Market Holiday market on December 12th and 13th. It will be at the fairfield Community association spaces on Moss and Fairfield. Fell free to check us out, we will be giving away door prizes as well as information about community gardens.
Hope to see you there.

November 6th permaculture presentation

2009-11-02T11:38:00.001-08:00

Friday November 6th Fairfield Gonzales Community Association in coalition with the Street Life Commitee hosted their weekly Friday night coffee houses. This week the topic up for discussion was Permaculture. Tamara and BeeJay presented a great overview on the principles of Permaculture followed a group discussion on the topic.
Thanks for the inspiration!

On-going Outreach

2009-11-02T11:34:00.000-08:00

October 21st

The Canvassing team is currently working on talking to all neighbours in proximity to Porter Park to inform and hear ideas and concerns regarding the Garden Initiative.

To help with canvassing please email fairfieldcommunitygardens@gmail.com

Thus far the feedback from neighbours has been both positive and cooperative. Feedback packages include the survey, pamphlet and email list as well as information on Moss Village Initiative.

Moss Street Market

2009-11-02T11:27:00.000-08:00

Moss Street Market October 10th Booth was a sucess.

Many surveys were filled out and supporters and enthusiasts were found. Yea!

Some of the outreach included an interactive survey.

More photos of this to come....

Community gardening meeting; October 7th

2009-10-11T11:46:00.000-07:00

Community gardening sub-committee meeting, Fairfield Community place, October 7th, 6pm.

In attendance: Annie Widerman, Fran McArthur, Kimberly Snider, Chloe Markgraf, Nashira Birch, Erika Verlinden, Daniel Fraikin
Regrets: Henry Kitchell and Courtney Robinson

Firstly we discussed the possible sites. Robert Porter Park, at the far side corner of Kipling and Fairfield was the most favoured site. We decided to follow through with the city and this site in planning a community garden there.

We then discussed outreach. Henry, although he was unable to attend, is working on a pamphlet to hand out to people. Erika is working on a sign up sheet and paper survey. Erika is also heading the canvassing project and will be giving everyone some materials, forms, a survey and a ‘rap’ to canvass with. A date was set on Thursday October 15th at 6pm, to practice canvassing and receive materials. We will begin canvassing direct neighbours and other areas on Monday October 19th. It was also decided that a central email address would be created for the project, it is: fairfieldcommunitygardens@gmail.com, and all those interested would have access to checking and using the email. In addition we decided to create a blog, as a reference site. Chloe and Nashira will create the blog.

We also discussed Moss Street Market. Moss Street Village has a table there this Saturday and we will be using that table to talk about the gardening initiative. We discussed different ideas on what to do there. We will have the paper survey available, as well as the sign up sheet. We will also have an interactive survey regarding what design model people would like to see. As well we will have a Naming contest, which will likely be ongoing for a few weeks, although we will take people’s suggestions at the market. And we will have a suggestions board for people’s ideas and visions. Nashira volunteered to be there in the morning and Fran in the afternoon, Annie and Chloe will be there intermittently throughout the entire day and there will be 2 people at the booth for the market at all times.

Next we discussed a meeting that I was having the following morning with Doug Demarzo of City of Victoria parks. He wished to know the exact site so we could get official approval for the site and go ahead with a proposal. To report on the meeting as well, it was a success and we have been granted that permission by the parks division to go ahead with an official proposal. He confirmed that they will indeed put in a water line and provide water.

Finally we talked of else who to contact. Leadership Victoria was on the list, as was SJD and Margaret Jenkins, including PAC for both schools. Volunteer Victoria was another idea, as was contacting Central Middle School to involve youth. Nashira volunteered to investigate Central.

The next meeting will be on Thursday October 15th at 6pm, at the Fairfield Community Place, 1330 Fairfield Road, come ready to role play about canvassing and discuss further initiatives.

Community Garden Survey

2009-10-11T11:39:00.000-07:00

Feel free to copy and paste this survey in your email, fill it out and send it to us at fairfieldcommunitygardens@gmail.com

NAME:
POSTAL CODE:
EMAIL:
PHONE:

DO YOU SUPPORT A COMMUNITY GARDEN IN THE FAIRFIELD GONZALES NEIGHBOURHOOD?

DO YOU SUPPORT SUCH A GARDEN BEING ESTABLISHED IN ROBERT PORTER PARK? (ADJACENT TO FAIRFIELD COMMUNITY PLACE AND SIR JAMES DOUGLAS SCHOOL)

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE HAPPEN IN THE GARDEN? (I.E. WORKSHOPS, SPECIFIC FOODS BEING GROWN, PROGRAMS)

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR CONCERNS, IF ANY?

WHO WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE INVOLVED IN THIS PROJECT?

WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO DONATE TIME/MATERIALS/MONEY TOWARDS THIS INIATIVE?

PLEASE INCLUDE ANY OTHER SUGGESTIONS AND OR COMMENTS!

PLEASE SUGGEST A NAME FOR THE GARDEN
IF YOUR SUGGESTION RECEIVES THE MOST VOTES, YOU’LL GET A PRIZE!

Community Voices

2009-10-09T20:53:00.000-07:00

Here's what some people have said about the sites:

Of the sites my vote would be for Porter park as it seems the most central and most likely to attract
all ages to contribute to its growth.
I like the fact that its near the school and community centre as it would create a vibrant hub
for the Moss village community.
Thanks again!
Anna
Anna Norris; Community Member, Moss Street Village/ Street Life Participant: Fairfield resident

I am familar with all three locations and would vote in favour of the site near the Fairfield Community center, for all the reasons we discussed.

Fran McArthur; Community Member; Fairfield resident

This email is just to formalize (put onto virtual paper) my preference for the Fairfield Community Garden location.

It's easy to visualize some sort of commons garden, mini-orchard and/or permaculture garden going into all of locations at some point (Chicken Park, Robert Porter Park and Pemberton Park). However, I think that Robert Porter Park is the best place to start the community gardens project (for a number of reasons), with the possibility of later expanding to the other parks and/or boulevards.

Porter Park is conveniently located, both central in Fairfield and adjacent to the Fairfield Community Place. The proximity to the Community Place would be useful; it could possibly be used as a temporary storage area for tools and such until we get a permanent structure built at the garden, possible bathroom access?!, and the potential to use the kitchen and hall for canning/jamming/cooking classes.

Also, as it is close to Sir James Douglas School, the Community Place, a couple of playgrounds and otherwise a fairly used park, I expect we'd have more interaction with the public than in the other parks. The benefits to this is that more people would learn about the project, with possibly more volunteers signing up, goods being donated etc. The higher the interaction with the public the more public interest there would be.

My third reason for supporting this location is that it gets the most sun out of the three parks, and so should be easier to grow a wider variety of plants.

Erika Verlinden: Community Garden collective member; Fairfield resident

I agree that Porter park would be the best place for a community garden. It is in walking distance to my house which is a big factor due to the fact that I do not own a vehicle. Also it is such a visible location whereby people/children could come learn about community gardening. More people might want to become involved after they see the benefits of growing our own food.

Stephanie Dawson, Fairfield resident

As for my vote for which site, I am going to suggest the Porter Park site as well. My reasons are similar to what others have already said:
-central location, in the 'heart of Fairfield' (maximizing community access and potential involvement)
-proximity to school (potential to involve children)
-next to community centre (storage, resources, space for meetings and/or workshops)
-just feels like the right spot

Kimberly Snider, Fairfield resident

My first choice is the location next to the community center. I like this site for it's permaculture potential, and I like that it is so close to the market and the community center (so we can go inside if we are doing workshops, etc.). However, I like Chicken Park almost as much as my first choice. I think Chicken Park actually has a lot of potential for a couple smaller plots, and doing some interesting things with the landscape. So I think Chicken Park is also a really solid choice.

Courtney Robinson, Fairfield Resident

The sites

2009-10-09T20:40:00.000-07:00

We're looking at 3 sites for the community gardens.

All three sites are park lands.

The first site is Robert Porter Park, off Fairfield road behind the Fairfield- Gonzales Community Association and Sir James Douglas Elementary School.

The next site is "Chicken park" at the corner of Bushby and Ebert.

And the last site we're looking at is Pemberton Park on Richardson and Gonzales.

Community gardens visioning

2009-10-09T20:36:00.001-07:00

Here are some ideas that came out of visioning session we did in September:

Elizabeth spoke to having to cob oven and/or a cob bench. She also spoke of involving cob education/workshops and having the opportunity to learn this and grow and share fruits and veggies.
Annie also elaborated on sharing food, and maintaining an open invite to the space, recognizing the potential for an ever evolving team and group of people. As well as the use of other educational tool to enhance the gardens
Naomi spoke of having the gardens as a permaculture demonstration site. Evolving the gardens into a sustainability model with rain catchment system, bio-regional food growing, and bicycle powered blenders for example. She also spoke of having varying workshops of how to store and preserve/dry foods and herbs on-site. She also elaborated on accessibility to people with varying disabilities: wheel chairs access, and access for blind people, etc.
Verna spoke of her interest in a more conventional plot allotment type garden, and what the policy would look like around those who were not Fairfield residents (as she herself was not entirely sure which neighbourhood she was in). She spoke of ideas for single plots and group plots. She also spoke enthusiastically of the hope for fruit trees.
Ken spoke of a type of alternative model that embellishes our need for further action towards food security in Victoria. The model would resemble a Food forest/Urban farm. This can be done in boulevards like a smaller CSA (community supported agriculture) in an urban setting, and supporting gardeners with financial retribution. Ideally transforming Fairfield into a food forest, or a more sustainable environment food wise, he embellished a new vision for Victoria’s green space, one that acknowledges the need for food security.
Chloe spoke of her desire to see a shared commons space and her excitement and desire to see the use of cob.
Nashira spoke of her interest in plot allotments, and her belief in the importance of community gardens in any neighbourhood. She spoke of wanting to see the community involvement and the importance of openness towards those interested rather then an exclusive lot only with those who have allotments. She also spoke of food collection as in her experience, often food can go un-eaten and a weekly food collection would be fruitful (literally). She elaborated on the importance of Compost and creating a solid policy around what can and can’t be composted on-site. She spoke of how important the educational component is for this garden, and that it involves youth of all ages. She also spoke of the importance of having community gatherings for the gardeners to enhance to relationships and build a group that works together.
Ideas that came out of the visioning were :
-The importance of educational component to the project : the gardens as a teaching tool ; involving youth and children
-Cob : workshops, and structures : oven, bench, tool shed
-Fruit trees
-Permaculture design, and demonstration sites
-accessibility for those with disabilities
-finding the best model for us : plot allotments, commons, communal gardens, single plots & group plots?
-The transformation of Victoria and Fairfield into a more food secure city.
-Collection days for food that is not getting picked and eaten
-Compost : a good inclusive policy around what’s what for compost needs.
-Having gatherings within the gardens to enhance the community

community gardening forum September 17

2009-10-09T20:04:00.000-07:00

Check out the community gardening forum at: http://www.mossvillage.blip.tv/

Included on this site are various other presentations and group discussions on community building.